Mercy Rant... :)

Okay, so as most of ya'll know, I'm a Mercy graduate.

I wish there was a way to describe what being a Mercy girls means. Not just as a whole, but to each individual person.

I now live with a girl who graduated the program 4 days before I did. She was there my first day, and was with me pretty much my entire six months. She saw who I was when I first got there, and who I was when I left.

Before you graduate, most girls make, what we call, a "Grad Book." A grad book is a journal, or scrapbook, or whatever you choose it to be... where girls and staff write in it before you graduate-- their phone numbers, addresses, memories, whatever they please.

Jen (roommate) and I were going through Mercy stuff last night. We laughed so hard over some of the stuff. Like... putting on your granny panties of truth... because like granny panties, He keeps you covered all over! Then she posted her status on facebook as "If you understand Bubba, the granny panties of truth, how rainbows make the whole world smile, Ruth Ann taking out displays at walmart and getting rescued in the dressing room, the joys of multiple cups of coffee, Saturday afternoon art, Uno, breakfast club, caged birds, booby traps, merry-go-rounds, or talent shows, then you know who you are, and I miss you and love you all very much."

Then another Mercy girl tagged me in a note today. In her college English class, she had to write a paper about a life changing experience. She wrote about Mercy (which would be a very courageous thing... because it would consist of writing what Mercy is for, and why she was there). Part of her essay:

Mercy Ministries is a program for young women with life controlling issues. While I was there I met girls with eating disorders, drug addictions, self-harm issues, and the list goes on. We are all so different, but we all had a common goal. We came to Mercy looking for a better life, looking for change. It was because of that common goal that we were able to knit together. Mercy is typically a six month journey, and in that six months you build relationships with your “Mercy Sisters” you can't have with anyone else. We are the oddest group of friends, but I can promise that we are the strongest group of friends to ever walk this earth. It was personally hard for me to learn to accept that the girls were genuine and really wanted to be there for me, but once I learned that lesson I felt very loved.

Life outside of Mercy hasn't been what I pictured, but I wouldn't say it's all that bad. There isn't a day when I wish I could go back to the love and support of the Mercy Monroe home, but I know that I have the love and support of the staff and my fellow sisters no matter where I am. I wouldn't trade those twenty-four weeks for anything, they were the hardest, most amazing weeks of my life. I thank God everyday for placing that Mercy application in my hand, and giving me the opportunity of a second chance, a chance to do this right. I also thank him for the courage, although I have no idea where it came, to fill out the application and go to Mercy Monroe. As it is said, if Mercy was easy everyone would do it.

I know this was completely pointless.

It's just... I miss my Mercy sisters so much-- and I live with one! And yet I still miss it. A staff called me on Saturday morning. When I saw her name flash on my phone, my heart melted. It was great talking to her. It was great telling her what was going on in my life, and what all God is doing.

Knowing that I have friends all over this country who will always have my back... it's a feeling I can't escape from. Knowing that those friends are friendships sent from God... makes it even better. Knowing we all struggled with life-controlling issues, yet we all turned to God to get through them... knowing that we spent six months living together in hickville town in Louisiana (the Monroe home is the oldest, smallest, and is in the ghetto... by a trailer park called "Shady Knoll") without killing each other.... knowing that we all could sit there crying our eyes out and pouring our hearts out, but knowing that they understood us and didn't judge us and could relate... wow.

If offered 353456 billion dollars tonight to give up my Mercy memories and sisters, I can honestly say I would not do it.

These girls, that time at Mercy, means the world to me.



Okay. End rant here!

I'm so glad it was a helpful & positive experience for you, but sorry your missing it so much. Try to keep in contact with your friends, it can help ease the loneliness. Stay strong

This post is so beautiful!

Ah! This has just erased the fear of going to Mercy next year Thank you!!

GodsBabyGirl wrote:Ah! This has just erased the fear of going to Mercy next year Thank you!!

I'M GLAD!